Egyptians drank cocktails of psychedelic drugs in ancient mugs

Question

Researchers analyzed a 2,000-year-old Egyptian Bes mug and discovered traces of psychedelic drugs, alcohol, and bodily fluids, suggesting it was used in fertility rituals.

4o

Comments

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-egyptians-drank-psychedelic-concoctions-from-this-2000-year-old-mug-study-finds-180985500/
https://archaeology.org/news/2024/11/18/psychedelic-drugs-detected-in-ancient-egyptian-mug/
I found 2 other articles that prove your point this is a cool research study.

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I found another article to prove your point further. It is always very interesting to find out what exactly these ancient Egyptian cocktails, even if they are disgusting.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14096651/ancient-egyptian-cocktail-psychedelic-drugs.html

Answer 1

I would say this statement is true. Reading more into this topic many news channels reported the same finding as the attached news source- such as CNN and Study Finds. 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/26/science/egyptian-bes-mug-hallucinogens/index.html#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20discovered%20the%20residues,imbibed%20hallucinogenic%20beverages%20during%20rituals.

https://studyfinds.org/psychedelic-cocktails-egyptian/

I also read more into the CNN article and found the study comes from University of Southern Florida with professor Davide Tanasi, this lead me to find another source reporting from an interview with Tanasi. 

https://health.wusf.usf.edu/health-news-florida/2025-01-09/usf-research-of-a-2-000-year-old-mug-shows-ancient-egyptians-used-hallucinogens

Answer 2

I believe this statement to be true. I found the original article for the University of South Florida written by Cassidy Demarten. The article discussed the process of David Tanasi and his team discovering the DNA in the mug. Tanasi is a professor and Director of Digital Exploration. Furthermore, I found Cassidy's public resume, discovering she has years of expertise in communication and journalism. The article also mentioned Branko Van open. After doing some research, I found that he focuses on the religious identification of Greek artifacts. Lastly, I found multiple news articles confirming the recent discoveries of psychedelics in Bes mugs.

Comments

https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-professor-confirms-egyptians-drank-hallucinogenic-cocktails-in-ancient-rituals.aspx#:~:text=A%20University%20of%20South%20Florida,few%20remaining%20Egyptian%20Bes%20mugs.

https://tampamuseum.academia.edu/BrankovanOppen

https://cassidydelamarter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/delamarter-resume2024.pdf

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I'm impressed by your deep digging on the subject and that you were able to find a primary source on the claim. Your description of the article author also gives insight into the credibility of the study, further suggesting that this assertion is indeed true.

Answer 3

I believe this claim is true. I found articles by reputed publications Newsweek and the New York Times that reinforce the idea of Ancient Egyptians consuming psychedelics via handcrafted pottery. Both articles reference a study published in Scientific Reports, a journal routinely used for publishing findings of scientific analysis. The study details how traces of psychotropic substances were found in an Egyptian vase dated as originating from the second century. Within that vase were "various functional, bioactive, psychotropic, and medicinal substances, shedding light on the diverse components of a liquid concoction used for ritual practices in Ptolemaic Egypt" (Tanasi et al). Moreover, the publisher of this work, David Tanasi, has a Ph.D in classical archaeology. Hence, we can assume that he has studied the subject vigorously and understands the workings of his field. The sources I used to verify this claim are listed below:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-78721-8

https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-egyptians-drank-cocktail-psychedelic-body-fluid-alcohol-1987914

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/28/science/egyptian-psychedelic-mug.html

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9531-427X